Jarvis Pass

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Jarvis Pass is a mountain pass in Kakwa Provincial Park in the Northern Rockies of British Columbia, Canada, located to the north of Kakwa Lake, on the British Columbia-Alberta boundary, and therefore is on the Continental Divide. [1] It was one of the many passes surveyed as a route for the Canadian Pacific Railway in the 1870s.

Mountain pass Route through a mountain range or over a ridge

A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since many of the world's mountain ranges have presented formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both human and animal migration throughout Earth's history. At lower elevations it may be called a hill pass. The highest vehicle-accessible pass in the world appears to be Mana Pass, located in the Himalayas on the border between India and Tibet, China.

British Columbia Province of Canada

British Columbia is the westernmost province of Canada, located between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. With an estimated population of 5.016 million as of 2018, it is Canada's third-most populous province.

Canada Country in North America

Canada is a country in the northern part of North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering 9.98 million square kilometres, making it the world's second-largest country by total area. Canada's southern border with the United States is the world's longest bi-national land border. Its capital is Ottawa, and its three largest metropolitan areas are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. As a whole, Canada is sparsely populated, the majority of its land area being dominated by forest and tundra. Consequently, its population is highly urbanized, with over 80 percent of its inhabitants concentrated in large and medium-sized cities, many near the southern border. Canada's climate varies widely across its vast area, ranging from arctic weather in the north, to hot summers in the southern regions, with four distinct seasons.

History

On December 9, 1874, explorer E.W. Jarvis and Major C.F. Hanington of Ottawa began an expedition across the Rockies, beginning at Quesnel, with the purpose of determining if the route they traveled could be used by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). [2] In February, 1875, Jarvis discovered the pass. The pass, about 10 miles (16 km) from Mount Sir Alexander, proved to be unusable by the CPR because of its 5,000 ft (1,500 m) elevation. Jarvis and Hanington completed their 1,000 mi (1,600 km) journey on May 21, 1875 in Winnipeg. [2] The name of the pass, chosen in E.W. Jarvis' honor, was officially adopted by the Geographical Board on 31 March 1917 and confirmed in 1982 on 15 December. [1] The mountains to either side of the pass are named Jarvis and Mount Hanington. [2]

Quesnel, British Columbia City in British Columbia, Canada

Quesnel is a small city that is part of the Cariboo Regional District of British Columbia, Canada. Located nearly evenly between the cities of Prince George and Williams Lake, it is on the main route to northern British Columbia and Yukon. Quesnel is located at the confluence of the Fraser and Quesnel Rivers. The Rocky Mountaineer train also travels through and stops overnight in Quesnel.

Canadian Pacific Railway railway in Canada

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Winnipeg Provincial capital city in Manitoba, Canada

Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. Centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, it is near the longitudinal centre of North America, approximately 110 kilometres (70 mi) north of the Canada–United States border.

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Mount Tupper mountain in Canada

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Waddington Harbour is a harbour at the head of Bute Inlet in the Central Coast region of British Columbia, Canada. Also issuing into the head of Bute Inlet and Waddington Harbour, just east of the mouth of the Homathko, is the Teaquahan River. Issuing directly into the inlet a few miles south on the harbour's southeast is the Southgate River, one of the major rivers of the central Pacific Ranges, which begins on the west side of the Lillooet Icecap. Its lower valley adjacent to the inlet's shores is called Pigeon Valley.

References

  1. 1 2 "Jarvis Pass". BC Geographical Names.
  2. 1 2 3 Natural Resources Canada , Ottawa, June 1927; Frederick Vreeland, "Early Visits to Mount Sir Alexander", American Alpine Journal , 1930, pp 114-119 with map, copy on file V.1.33. Both cited at "Jarvis Pass". BC Geographical Names.

Coordinates: 54°05′20″N120°09′30″W / 54.08889°N 120.15833°W / 54.08889; -120.15833

Geographic coordinate system Coordinate system

A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position and two or three of the numbers represent a horizontal position; alternatively, a geographic position may be expressed in a combined three-dimensional Cartesian vector. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation. To specify a location on a plane requires a map projection.